ST. GEORGE – Officials of the recently opened St. George Detox Hospital said coming off of an addiction is a continuing process, and they hope to make the patients’ first step easier by offering a detox environment surrounded by medical professionals and a “caring” staff.

The hospital, 120 W. 1470 South, building B, is a 12-bed facility with most of its rooms housing two residents between four to nine days each, depending on the individual’s addiction and how heavily they were involved with the drug.

Medial Director Joel Hanson said there are certain drugs that require hospital-level care when someone is withdrawing.

“If a person or family member decides that someone needs to stop, it’s easier said than done,” Hanson said. “An awful lot of what keeps people using or drinking is the fear of stopping and how sick they could get. The main goals for a hospital like this is really two things: One is to help them safely and comfortably get off the drug or alcohol, and the other is to help them buy into and plug into treatment once the detox is finished. You don’t want to just get somebody off of something without there being a plan to have them stay off of it.”

The hospital focuses its attention on patients needing medical attention to withdraw from alcohol, sedatives like Xanax and Valium, and heavy use of opiates, including pain pills and heroin, Hanson said.

Hospital administrator Mike Webb said the hospital is privately owned, but it’s open to the public.

“What we’ve seen, as a team, is such a need for a true medical detox (center),” Webb said. “There have been other centers that come in, and they’re not truly medical; they’ve been holistic or whatever, and it’s just kind of a sham to be really honest.”

Webb said the facility works closely with Dixie Regional Medical Center and many other facilities to coordinate care for a patient.

“This is just the first step,” Webb said of the facility. “We want to get them off that symptomology, take care of that medical situation and fears of getting off that drug, and then propel them into wanting to go into treatment.”

To find out more about the St. George Detox Hospital, or to make an appointment, call 435-272-0220 or visit stgeorgedetox.com.